Inflatable play ball

ABSTRACT

A play ball comprising an outer casing having a first opening and at least one second opening that operates as a vent and a balloon is provided. The outer casing is substantially non-porous. An uninflated balloon is inserted into the outer casing through an opening. During inflation of the balloon, air from within the outer casing is released through the at least one vent. The play ball can additional sections and can be provided in kit form.

STATEMENT OF RELATED CASE

This application is a continuation-in-part under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/534,905, filed on Sep. 25, 2006, whichclaimed, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), the benefit of and priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/825,553, filed on Sep. 13,2006, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application generally relates to the field of balloon balls.

Balloon balls, for example, those sold under the trade name “Balzac”,have a fabric casing over a balloon that is inflated to conform to theshape of the fabric coating. U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,392 discloses one suchexample. The balloon is inserted into an opening in the casing. Uponinflation, the elasticity of the balloon creates a much higher pressurethan a typical ball with a non-expanding bladder. This is the reasonwhy, unlike a football or basketball, no pump is required, and a balloonball can be inflated by mouth.

Unlike a beach ball, which can be inflated by mouth, however, balloonballs have a higher number of pounds per square inch and bounce muchhigher. The balloons generally deflate over long periods of time andtend to sag after a day or two. This presents issues for retailers indisplaying the products as well as the consumers who cannot leave theballoon balls inflated without deterioration of play value and thereplacement of the balloon.

There exists a need, therefore, to provide balloon balls that areconfigured to readily permit re-inflation or replacement of the internalballoon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided are improved balloon balls that readily permit re-inflation orreplacement of the internal balloon as compared to conventional designs.In one aspect of the present invention, balloon balls are provided thatcomprise an outer casing having an opening for the insertion of aballoon and at least one vent to permit evacuation of air or gas fromthe outer casing while the balloon is being inflated. The outer casingsare generally non-porous to air or gas. The vent can be a traditionalinflation valve, such as that found on a beach ball. Other examples ofvents include check-valves, mesh, holes, flaps affixed with hook andloop fasteners over openings, and the like. The size and shape of thevent can be chosen to permit retrieval of balloon fragments should theneed arise.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an inflatableplay ball includes an outer casing formed of a flexible material that issubstantially non-porous which assumes a desired play ball configurationwhen expanded, the outer casing having a first opening and at least onesecond opening and a balloon formed of an elastomeric material, theballoon having a closeable opening and being inside the outer casing.

All of the openings can optionally include closure mechanisms.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method ofinflating a play ball is provided. One aspect of the method includes thesteps of: supplying an outer casing formed of a flexible material thatis substantially non-porous, the outer casing comprising an opening, aclosure, and at least one vent therein; supplying a balloon formed of anelastomeric material and comprising a closeable opening; inserting theballoon in an uninflated state through the opening and into the outercasing while leaving the closeable opening outside of the outer casing;inflating the balloon by supplying air or a gas through the closeableopening; evacuating air from the outer casing through the at least onevent as the balloon inflates; closing the closeable opening uponinflation of the balloon; inserting the closeable opening within theouter casing; and substantially sealing the opening with the closure.This causes a ball to assume a desired play ball configuration.

Another aspect of the present invention involves providing a kit thatincludes an outer casing formed of a flexible material that issubstantially non-porous which assumes a desired play ball configurationwhen expanded, the outer casing having a first opening and at least onesecond opening and a balloon in its uninflated state formed of anelastomeric material adapted to be placed inside the outer casingthrough the first opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of the play ball in accordance with oneaspect of the present invention with a cut-away to show an inflatedballoon inside an outer casing.

FIG. 2 illustrates an inflation valve.

FIG. 3 illustrates an uninflated balloon which is inserted into an outercasing.

FIG. 4 illustrates another aspect of the play ball.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the play ball.

FIG. 6 illustrates a kit in which the play ball is provided.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the play ball.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the play ball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more aspects of the present invention provide an inflatable playball including an outer casing formed of a flexible material that issubstantially non-porous to air, which, when the outer casing is fullyexpanded, assumes a desired play ball configuration. The outer casing ofsome aspects comprises an opening to permit insertion into the outercasing of a balloon in its uninflated state, a closure that is operableto substantially seal the opening during use of the ball, and at leastone vent therein to permit evacuation of air from the outer casing asthe balloon is inflated. The balloon of various aspects is formed of anelastomeric material, the balloon comprising a stem which initiallyprojects through the opening and is then outside of the outer casing topermit inflation of the balloon within the outer casing, after which,the stem is tied and inserted within the outer casing.

In another aspect, a method of inflating a play ball includes: supplyingan outer casing formed of a flexible material that is substantiallynon-porous to air, the outer casing comprising an opening, a closure,and at least one vent therein; supplying a balloon formed of anelastomeric material and comprising a stem; inserting the balloon in anuninflated state through the opening and into the outer casing whileleaving the stem outside of the outer casing; inflating the balloon bysupplying air or a gas through the stem; evacuating air from the outercasing through the at least one vent; tying the stem upon inflation ofthe balloon; inserting the stem within the outer casing; andsubstantially sealing the opening with the closure; thereby forming adesired play ball configuration.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is illustrated an inflatable playball and its components in accordance with the present invention. Theball comprises an outer casing 10 that is non-porous and an inflatedballoon 12 which conforms to the shape of the outer casing. The outercasing 10 can also be substantially non-porous, for example, ifstitching is used to hold various parts of the outer casing 10 together.When the outer casing 10 is expanded, as shown, a desired configurationof a play ball is provided. The casing can assume any shape and size asneeded. For example, the play ball can be a football, a soccer ball orany other type of ball or configuration. The outer casing can alsoinflate to non-spherical, odd shapes, for example, the shape of acharacter. The outer casing 10 is substantially non-porous to air. Theouter casing may be formed of many types of materials. In oneembodiment, it may be desirable to use a polymeric plastic film, such asa polyvinyl chloride film used for beach balls. In another embodiment,it may be desirable to coat a fabric material to make the fabricmaterial non-porous. The coating can be placed either within the outercasing 10 or on the exterior surface of the outer casing. The coatingcan be sprayed on. In accordance with one aspect of the presentinvention, the outer casing is a fabric and an impermeable membrane isattached or applied to the fabric. Of course, the impermeable membranecan be attached or applied to any flexible material.

At least one vent 14 is provided in the outer casing 10 to permitevacuation of air from the outer casing 10 while the balloon is inflatedwithin the casing. The vent can be a traditional inflation valve 16 suchas that found on a beach ball. This is also referred to herein as a portand a plug combination. Non-limiting examples of vents used in variousaspects include check-valves, mesh, holes, flaps affixed with hook andloop fasteners over openings, and the like. Further aspects have the atleast one vent provided a covering to help protect the integrity of theballoon during play.

FIG. 3 shows the balloon 12 of some aspects of the invention, in itsuninflated state. The balloon of various aspects is formed of a thinelastomeric material having a stem 13 which initially projects throughan opening 11 in the outer casing 10, as shown in FIG. 4. The opening 11in one or more aspects can be a slit or any other suitable passage inthe outer casing 10. In an embodiment of a beach ball, the opening canbe an inflation valve sized to accommodate passage of an uninflatedballoon. After the balloon has been inflated, the stem 13 can be tiedoff and inserted within the outer casing 10. In one or more embodiments,the opening 11 has a closure 17 to retain the balloon stem within theouter casing and substantially seal the opening during use of the ball.The closure over opening 11 can be a zipper, any type of valve, a plug,adhesive mesh or any other type of closure. Any of the closuremechanisms discussed herein can be used to close the openings 11 and 14in the outer casing 10.

As the balloon 12 inflates in some embodiments, the at least one secondopening 14, if closed, is opened and air from inside the outer casing 10is evacuated from the outer casing 10. Once the balloon 12 is inflated,the stem 13 can be knotted and the second opening 14 closed with flap15. The knotted stem 13 can be placed inside the outer casing 10 and thefirst opening 11 can also be closed via any of the previously describedmethods.

When a balloon is inflated inside a fabric case, the air between thepartially inflated balloon and the case escapes through the case. Withthe impervious case of the present invention, air tends to get trappedbetween the partially inflated balloon and the case, and may createundesirable air pockets. A single vent or hole in the case at the bottom(opposite the slit where the balloon is inflated) is not alwayssufficient to prevent the formation of these air pockets. Thus, in someembodiments, it is preferred to have several small holes or openings inaddition to the slit where the balloon is inflated. These small holes oropenings are punched in the vinyl case to prevent the formation of theseair pockets.

For example, if one thinks of an inflated balloon inside a casing inaccordance with the present invention, as a globe, with a ballooninserted in a slit in the casing at the North Pole, it is believed thata total of about 6 small holes, each no more than ¼ inch in diameter,spaced along what would be the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic ofCapricorn, provide optimum results.

Accordingly, it is preferred that the casing use as much of theimpervious vinyl case as possible to prevent air from escaping from theinflated balloon. Therefore, although a large balloon is inserted in theslit for inflation, it is preferred that the slit in which the balloonis inserted be as small as possible to leave only a small area where theballoon is not covered by the vinyl. Therefore, it is preferred toheavily reinforce the slit so that a large balloon can be partiallypulled inside the case (while of course leaving the neck sticking outfor inflation) without tearing the slit in the vinyl.

FIG. 5 shows this additional embodiment of the present invention. Theballoon has an opening 23 that extends through the first opening 21 ofthe casing. In this embodiment, a plurality of second openings 24, 26and 28 are provided to allow air to be evacuated from between the casingand the balloon as the balloon is inflated. More or less second openingscan be provided. Additionally, the second openings can be closeable asdescribed previously.

FIG. 6 illustrates a kit form of the present invention. A package 30 isprovided. The outer casing 32 and one or more balloons 34 and 36 areprovided inside the package 30.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the outercasing 10 and the balloon 12 are provided in a single package for sale.Upon usage, the balloon 12 is inserted into the outer casing 10 and airis introduced into the balloon 12. Any air in the outer casing 10 isevacuated through the at least one second opening in the outer casing,and the balloon inflates to cause the outer casing 10 to assume a shape.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there are no loopsattached to the outer casing.

In various embodiments of the invention, the opening is reinforced. Thishas the benefit, among other things, of protecting the opening fromtearing during insertion or removal of a balloon.

Further embodiments of the invention have at least one additionalsection heat sealed onto the outer casing of the ball. Because the playball can be made of a non-porous inflatable material, it is possible toadd on another section that is heat sealed into a fully enclosed area(with no holes). In embodiments of this sort, a conventional inflatablevalve may be used to inflate the protrusion, at less pressure than theballoon ball. Embodiments of these types can result in a bouncing playball with arms or legs that are decorative, or a protrusion that a childcould hold onto, while retaining the high pressure characteristics ofthe balloon ball.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the invention having additionalsections 38 heat sealed onto the outer casing 10 of the ball. Theembodiment displayed in this example is a mock-human form having armsand legs 38 as additional section. The arms and legs 38 have inflationtubes 40 for inflating the sections. The inflation tubes 40 can berecessed into the additional sections 38 after inflation. The face onthe outer casing 10 is solely an example of a possible design,incorporating the vent 14 acting as a nose.

Additional embodiments of the invention have a section that is heatsealed onto the surface of the ball, creating an off weighted ball,giving a crazy wobble effect. The heat sealed section of theseembodiments can be located either on the inside or outside surface ofthe ball. FIG. 8 shows an example of this type of embodiment. The outercasing 10 of the ball has an extra section 42 heat sealed to the outersurface. This extra section 42 will cause the ball to move in a wobblymanner. The extra section can have an inflation tube like that shown inFIG. 7, or can be inflated from within the inside of the ball duringinflation of the ball. In other embodiments, the extra section 42 can belocated on the internal surface of the ball, hidden from view.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novelfeatures of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments andaspects thereof, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the deviceillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention,therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

1. An inflatable play ball comprising: an outer casing formed of a flexible material that is substantially non-porous which assumes a desired play ball configuration when expanded, the outer casing having a first opening and a second opening; and a removable balloon formed of an elastomeric material, the balloon being inside the outer casing and having a closeable opening aligned with the first opening in the outer casing; wherein when the balloon is inflated through the closeable opening in the balloon, air in the outer casing is evacuated through the second opening.
 2. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, wherein the first opening is closeable.
 3. The inflatable play ball of claim 2, wherein the second opening is closeable.
 4. The inflatable play ball of claim 2, wherein the second opening is closeable.
 5. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, further comprising one or more additional second openings.
 6. The inflatable play ball of claim 5, wherein the one or more additional second openings are closeable.
 7. The inflatable play ball of claim 5, wherein each of the second openings are about 0.25 inch in diameter.
 8. The inflatable play ball of claim 5, wherein there are six second openings.
 9. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, wherein the closeable opening in the balloon is knotted.
 10. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, wherein the closeable opening in the balloon is closed by a valve.
 11. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, wherein the flexible material includes a polymeric plastic film.
 12. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, wherein the flexible material comprises polyvinyl chloride.
 13. The inflatable play ball of claim 5, wherein the flexible material comprises a fabric material and a rubber coating adhered to the fabric material.
 14. The inflatable play ball of claim 13, wherein the rubber coating is adhered to an outer surface of the outer casing.
 15. The inflatable play ball of claim 13, wherein the rubber coating is adhered to an inner surface of the outer casing.
 16. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, wherein the flexible material includes an impermeable membrane.
 17. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, further comprising at least one additional section heat sealed onto the outer casing.
 18. The inflatable play ball of claim 17, wherein at least one additional section comprises an inflation valve.
 19. The inflatable play ball of claim 1, further comprising additional section, wherein the additional section causes the ball to be off-balance.
 20. A kit comprising: an outer casing formed of a flexible material that is substantially non-porous which assumes a desired play ball configuration when expanded, the outer casing having a first opening and at least two second openings; and a balloon in its uninflated state formed of an elastomeric material adapted to be placed inside the outer casing through the first opening; and packaging enclosing the outer casing and the balloon.
 21. The kit of claim 20, further comprising one or more balloons in their uninflated states.
 22. The kit of claim 20, further comprising at least one additional section heat sealed to the outer casing.
 23. The kit of claim 22, wherein at least one additional section comprises an inflation valve.
 24. The kit of claim 20, further comprising at least one additional section heat sealed to the inside of the outer casing. 